“Land Rover’s debut electric vehicle has been spotted undergoing rigorous testing in harsh conditions ahead of its upcoming release. The upcoming Range Rover Electric has successfully wrapped up a second phase of winter trials as it moves closer to launch.
Engineers focused on evaluating the vehicle’s advanced thermal management system—particularly its ability to efficiently warm the cabin and sustain fast-charging capabilities in extreme cold.
The prototypes were also challenged with steep slopes and descents on icy terrain to ensure the one-pedal driving feature, which utilizes regenerative braking to decelerate when off the accelerator, performs reliably across various surfaces.
“Challenging evaluations in harsh and unpredictable environments such as Arjeplog, Sweden, play a vital role in ensuring the real-world durability and dependability of the Range Rover Electric,” stated Thomas Müller, JLR’s head of product engineering.
JLR has revealed that the Range Rover Electric is powered by a 117kWh battery pack, engineered and built internally, featuring 344 prismatic cells and operating on an 800V architecture.
While the company hasn’t disclosed official range figures yet, the substantial battery size is expected to deliver well over 300 miles on a single charge.
These latest winter trials follow last year’s hot-weather testing in the UAE, where prototypes were subjected to extreme conditions nearing 50°C.
The prototypes tackled Big Red—a towering 300-foot sand dune in Sharjah’s Al Badayer desert—to put the new Intelligent Torque Management system through its paces, a tech upgrade that replaces traditional ABS-based traction control.
According to JLR, the system significantly enhances off-road traction by instantly channeling power between electric motors, slashing torque response times from approximately 100 milliseconds to just one millisecond. Impressively, after five back-to-back climbs, all prototypes maintained consistent performance without any drop-off.
“Hot climates pose a major challenge for electric vehicles due to the dual demands of cooling the cabin and maintaining optimal battery performance,” said Müller.
“Driving on sand adds another layer of difficulty, requiring precise low-speed torque control. That’s why we’ve engineered our thermal management and traction control systems to work seamlessly together, ensuring smooth and consistent power delivery.”
“In our tests, the Range Rover Electric handled repeated 100-metre climbs on soft sand just as well as, and in some cases even better than, its combustion-engine counterparts—highlighting the effectiveness of these new systems.”
Much like the vehicles spotted in the Arctic, these Range Rover EV prototypes are shown in full view without any camouflage—a deliberate move by JLR to highlight the exceptional build quality of their early models.
Finished entirely in black and lacking the matte trim accents previously hinted at to distinguish the electric variant, the test car closely mirrors the design of the ICE-powered Range Rover that’s been on sale since 2022.
According to JLR, this emphasizes how the prototype’s “modernist design language remains faithful to the Range Rover lineage,” suggesting the all-electric Range Rover will feature only subtle visual cues setting it apart from the six-cylinder, V8, and plug-in hybrid versions.
JLR has emphasized that this is the first vehicle to feature a battery and electric drive unit fully assembled in-house.
While specific performance details for the new Range Rover have yet to be revealed, the company assures that it will retain the legendary “go-anywhere” capability of its ICE counterpart. This includes towing, wading, and all-terrain performance that is set to surpass any other luxury electric SUV, with the ability to ford water up to 850mm deep.
The Range Rover Electric is expected to deliver performance “on par” with the current V8 model, likely achieving a total output near the 523bhp offered by the gasoline variant.
A dual-motor setup is anticipated, enhancing the vehicle’s four-wheel-drive capabilities and incorporating features like torque vectoring to elevate its off-road performance.
JLR has tailored its testing program to focus specifically on the vehicle’s underfloor design, battery durability, and thermal derating.
The Range Rover Electric will be assembled in Solihull alongside its mild-hybrid and PHEV counterparts, initially sourcing batteries from an external supplier. Eventually, however, it will transition to using battery packs produced at the new Somerset gigafactory, currently under development by JLR’s parent company, Tata.